Sunny Gardens: Your Gain, Our Loss

>”Stawigh' haf owwies!  Meanie fwuffy take nummies!  Mommy hewp!”
”Damn it, Felix, how many times do I have to tell you to stop being such a jerk?”
>You take the stubborn green unicorn out of the big playpen and over to the sorry box.
>”Nuuuu!  Fewiss sowwy, Fewiss no wan' sowwy-box, pwease no!”
”Should have thought about that before you snatched Starlight's apple.”
>You drop the crying Felix in and set the egg timer.
>”Nuuuu, pwease no weave in sowwy-box!  Fewiss sowwy, Fewiss sowwy!”
“Oh, calm down.  You'll live.”
>You are Lucy, and you love fluffy ponies.
>So much so that you run this little fluffy shelter by yourself.
>It sounds a lot harder than it actually is; not many people drop off strays these days.
>Not many strays to drop off.  It's the middle of summer; poor things bake to death.
>You've got about twenty fluffies here now.
>Most of these are pets that outgrew their cuteness.
>It breaks your heart when they whine about their mommies and daddies.
>Starlight, the soft pink pegasus currently in your arms, is terrible about this.
>Almost every morning when you come in, she's at the door of her cage crying.
>She had a dream about her owner, woke up, then started bawling when he wasn't there.
>She's called you mommy ever since.
>”Why meanie a'ways take appa?  Stawigh' wuv appa...”
>You walk back to the front desk, setting the sniffling pegasus on the top.
>She loves to watch the cars go by out the glass front of the building.
“We'll set Felix straight eventually.  Here, you want the rest of my Butterfinger?”
>”Yay!  Stawigh' wuv mommy!  Mommy gif bes' nummies!”
>You listen to the ambient noise while you continue to deal with the monthly bills.
>Starlight's cooing about the shiny cars going by dominates the atmosphere.
>Behind you, in the huge pen, the other fluffies play.
>Felix cannot stand it.
>”Fewiss wan' out!  Fewiss wan' pway baww, wan' huggies!  Pwease wet out!”
>”Fewiss bad fwuffy, hooman say so, no pway!  Fewiss be nice fwuffy, den get pway!”
>That's the voice of Slate, a big blue male earth fluffy that serves as the 'smarty friend' of your shelter's 'herd'.
>He acts as your fluffy enforcer, ensuring good behavior when you're out or busy with a potential adopter.
>Not many of those about, either.
>You've had these twenty fluffies for at least a month now, and they're beginning to get agitated.
>Some, like Slate and Starlight, have been here since Feburary, Christmas gifts no longer wanted by their owners.
>”When time fo' daddy?” Lucent suddenly asks, leaning on the side of the pen.
>Lucent is a gorgeous white unicorn mare with a glittering blue mane.
>She had the good life once, and she hasn't forgotten it.
>”Miss daddy!  Wan' daddy come, take Wucen' wif!  Wan' huggies fwom daddy!”
“I'm sorry, Luce, I don't know when you'll get a new daddy.”
>The other fluffies stop playing and huddle together, looking sad.
>They know that applies to them too.
>Only Starlight, distracted by the cars, maintains her mood.
>She's humming an inane little song.
>With a long sigh, you turn back to the bills.
>Fluffy food.  Special litter.  Toys.  New beds to replace soiled ones.  Shots.  Grooming.
>Financially, you're okay, but your parents don't care for your choice of occupation.
>They can deal with it.  You're doing the thing you love.
>The doorbell startles you out of your thoughts.
>”Wow, this place looks a lot better than the municipal shelter,” the man says.
>He's in a suit.  A red BMW is parked out front.
>Good feeling about this one.
>”New fwiend?” Starlight asks as he approaches the desk.
“Welcome to Sunny Gardens!  And, yeah, I make sure the place is clean.  I'm Lucy.”
>He shakes your hand.  “My daughter is dying for a fluffy.  Figure it could be a nice chance to teach her some responsibility.”
>You carry Starlight over to the pen and set her in.
>Every single fluffy is begging to be picked, including Felix.
>”Why's that one in the box?”
“It's the fluffy pony equivalent of a time out.  He's fine.”
>You explain the three types of fluffy pony while you move Felix back into the pen.
>Pegasus ponies are fragile and quick.
>Great care must be taken to ensure they don't jump off things.
>Unicorns can make sparks from their horns.
>These are usually harmless, but they can startle non-fluffy pets and small children.
>Earth ponies are relatively stout, but eat a bit more than the others.
>Their stubbornness can make them difficult to deal with.
>The man nods as you talk, looking over the fluffies in the pen.
>They are so desperate to hug him.
>You stand aside, allowing him space to make his choice.
>He gently picks up Lucent.
>”Daddy?  Daddy wuv Wucen'?  Go wif daddy, huggies?  Wuv?”
>”God, she's going to give me diabetes.  I'll take this one.”
>Lucent trembles with joy in the man's arms while he fills out the paperwork.
>After he pays the fee and starts to leave, the other fluffies react instintctively at first.
>”Nuuuuu!  No take fwiend Wucen'!” Felix cries.
>”Gif back fwiend, no take!  No take 'way!” begs a dark yellow pegasus named Flame.
>By the time he's out the door, they realize what just happened.
>”No!  Daddy!  Daddy!  No weave Stawigh'!  Pwease take wif!  No weave!  No weaaaaaaaave!” she shrieks, collapsing into a sobbing pile.
>The rest of the herd closes on her in a hug, including Felix.
>”No cwy wingie fwiend...no cwy...daddy come soon, daddy take aww fwuffies.”
>That's Slate talking.  He's crying too.
>So are you, in fact.
>You're happy that Lucent got a home, surely, but the reactions of those left behind...
>They always get to you.
>“Daddy no wan' Stawigh'...”
>You pet her on the head while the herd tries to comfort her.
>Look up at the clock.
>Not even noon yet.
>If Starlight doesn't feel better soon, you're going to run out of tissues before lunch.
>You leave the fluffy clump to huddle and get back to paying bills.
>You'll have to walk down to the post office for some of these, but you're unwilling to leave with Starlight feeling so bad.
>Pay what you can online for now.
>”Fewiss sowwy, Stawigh' can haf Fewiss' appa when appa come 'gain...”
>You smile broadly, but don't turn to face the pen.
“Good boy, Felix.”
>”Wes pway wif Stawigh' an' Fewiss, make fwiends happy,” Slate says, breaking up the clump and fetching the red ball.
>Slate has such tact for a fluffy.
>Hell, more than some humans you know.
>You watch them play for a while; they nose the ball back and forth, giggling wildly.
>You're worried.  Fluffies are desperately social creatures.
>Without a human to completely attach to, they need large numbers of peers to feel comfortable.
>Nineteen fluffies is just barely enough.  You're happy that Lucent got adopted, you really are.
>If people don't start dropping off strays to replace the losses, though...
>You're going to end up with eighteen more Starlights on your hands.
>There aren't enough tissues in the world for that.
>You'll cross that bridge when you get to it.
>Right now, Flame is babbling about lunch.  The others begin to follow suit.
>You get ready to make the trip to the diner down the street.
“Slate, keep everyone in line until I get back, okay?”
>He nods.  “Swate be suwe aww fwuffies good.  Fwuffies be good when nice hooman come 'gain.”